Japan, both a major buyer and processor of fish, is an important link in the global seafood distribution chain. So the effects of the disaster -- including the ruined ports, roads, fisheries and processing centers -- have taken their toll on the seafood industry worldwide.

As the FDA considers approving the first genetically modified animal for human consumption, much debate has centered on how the GM salmon would be labeled. Many in the seafood industry are advocating for warning labels, but the biotech industry insists the fish is biologically the same as any other Atlantic salmon.